Time To Panic – America is Running Out of Bacon

First Trump is elected President, then we get an number of shocking executive orders, and now we learn that America is running low on bacon. What is next? Dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria! Seriously though, the national strategic bacon supply is running low and bacon prices are climbing at record levels.

The bacon supply in the United States is currently at a 50 year low. According to USA Today,

The Ohio Pork Council, a Columbus-based non-profit, reported Tuesday that demand for frozen pork belly, frequently made into bacon, is outpacing supply.

“Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”

There are literally not enough little piggies going to market.

In December 2016, frozen pork belly inventory totaled 17.8 million pounds, the lowest level since 1957, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bacon Reserve Price Increase

Has our demand for all things bacon gone too far? If you search Pinterest and Instagram you start to get a picture as to why there is a strain on our national bacon supply.

We crave bacon in our cheeseburgers, a critical side in our breakfast foods, add lettuce and tomato to make sandwiches, apply bacon crumbles to our maple bars, and wrap other meats and vegetables to make everything more delicious. In America, we love our bacon. As a result of our bacon addiction, farmers are not able to raise enough pigs to satisfy our lust for salted and cured pork products. If we can’t have our bacon wrapped bacon, for some, the world just might end.

Our insatiable demand for bacon has created a huge price increase. According to UPI,

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the average price in U.S. cities of sliced bacon per pound $5.10 in December. In December 2006, the average price in U.S. cities for sliced bacon per pound was $3.45.

That is a 67% price increase in just over ten years! If milk and egg prices climbed that high, we might not be able to afford breakfast food anymore. While the bacon pricing has surged, local grocery stores still carry the precious meat. Now may be a good time to stock up on your bacon food supply at Costco before it’s too late.

Fortunately there will be enough bacon for the Super Bowl unlike the year we almost ran out of chicken wings. There were nearly riots in the streets. Let’s hope it does not come to that, people seem to have plenty of other things to riot about.